The invention relates to a leakproof mounting device for a support plate of a fluidisation grid, which plate rests on a peripheral bracket located inside the reactor.
Grid support plates in fluidisation reactors are assembled in one or more parts, and there is deterioration in the course of time of the seal between a plenum chamber supplying fluidisation gas and the actual reactor. The resulting gas leaks seriously jeopardise the proper operation of the apparatus, because the fluidisation gas under pressure in the plenum chamber passes partly through pyramidal orifices which form the grid and partly through cracks, which are mainly around the periphery of the support plate, the plate usually being of refractory cast iron. Even if the total fluid flow of fluid can still be controlled the leaks through such cracks reduce uncontrollably the fluid flow through the grid orifices. This results in poor fluidisation of the material in the reactor, and possibly clogging or caking when the materials are subject to agglutination.
From French Pat. No. 1,260,797 and French first Patent of Addition No. 81618 there is known a device of the type already described in which a U-shaped clamping device is engaged between a fixed plate and a support fixed to a wall to clamp the plate against a support of the wall. However, in this device, the support is necessarily below the plate and the clamping device is located above. This device cannot therefore be operated when the plate supports a refractory mass, for example refractory concrete.
An object of the invention is to overcome the aforesaid disadvantages and to permit leakproof mounting of a support plate resting on a peripheral bracket and providing nevertheless accessible leakproof clamping means, if necessary below the plate.